Why the new match-fixing claims could rock the world of tennis

The world’s tennis elite is up in arms. Roger Federer wants to see proof, demanding that the people behind “allegations that match-fixing is rife” should name names. Andy Murray has criticised the practice of betting companies sponsoring tournaments. And Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey thinks that betting on lower-grade tournaments should be outlawed – although it isn’t clear how he proposes to enforce that on syndicates in Hong Kong.

They are all missing the point. Perhaps that’s because (or why) the entire media cohort did the same thing yesterday, running story after interview about the possibility that tennis matches get thrown for money. All the old clichés came out: how tennis (as a two-person contest) is more vulnerable than other sports; how at the bottom end of the circuit, the lack of reward for players scratching a living makes them particularly susceptible to a corrupt approach; and – inevitably – how the growth of online betting is the root cause of it all.